hour will come our Father's home; Then let the remnant of our days be to his service of men; the power of sin; but to wean our souls from earth, and break He saw us wandering from his paths, and sent the chastening rod, To turn our feet from error's way, and bring us home to God. and the window whence the Cardinal, | Not long shall we their loss deplore, for soon the with malignant eye, looked down on the When we with those we loved, shall meet, safe in funereal pile of not only the martyr's person, but, in him, as it might seem, of his Master's cause. And Rutherford! one word yet with our German historian over the grave of that hallowed name- Not willingly the Lord afflicts, nor grieves the sons of the man who could indite, as from Christ's palace, his letters from prison-Tis those letters at which fancy itself may sit down, as at a feast; but at which devotion kindles to heavenly ardour, as it pursues the utterances of a soul so full of the love of Christ-so versant in the fellowship of the Spirit. Let these writings which, scarcely less than the works of a Boston and a Guthrie, have moulded the Scottish mind, be witness of the possible alliance of a strictly Calvanistic creed with the purest and loftiest sentiment-yea, with the gushings forth into heavenly channels of the deepest fountains of the heart!-Extracted from an address by Professor Willis, of Toronto, on the Theology of the Reformation. in tears, Shall we defeat his wise design, and waste our days Let faith and hope be cherished still, and brighter in sorrows sown. CHRIST SEEKING HOLINESS. "Follow holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord."-Heb. xii. 14. WHEN Jesus, that morning when he Rev. i.) how holy he is seen to be! He has the purity of the Ancient of days (Dan. vii. 9), "white as snow; like the pure wool," and his feet cannot touch defilement, they are "as if they burnt in a furnace We at once discover that this Priest is he who on earth was "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners" (Heb. vii. 26.) And why does he walk amidst the seven golden candlesticks? It is in order to make them give more light, and in order to wipe off from them everything like a spot or blemish. In Revelation ii. 2, 3, he looks wellpleased on the holy deeds and purposes of his people at Ephesus. He delights in their "works," their " labour," their "patience," and in their steady refusal to tolerate evil, whatever it might cost them. But then they are not studying holiness in one of its chief forms; taken up with working, they are losing heartlove to their Lord. In verse 4, he puts his finger on that blemish-"Your love is not so fervent as it was! Repent! Be full of warmth again! Remember how you used to gaze on my cross till your hearts warmed within you; do so again; come back to this great sight, and get your souls kindled to a holier flame." Reader, take care, lest, while working in Sabbath schools, classes, tract-distribution, prayer meetings, seeking out the careless, carrying the Gospel from house to house, speaking to your fellow men,take care, lest amid all this your soul be losing its love. Again: how he spake regarding the unholy practices of Pergamos, (Rev. ii. 12,) and the unholy doctrines taught by some among them. He points them out, and cries, "Repent! I will not bear thee for another moment! the sword of my mouth shall strike and wound thee!" And when he comes to Thyatira (verse 20), and finds professing Christians seduced to think lightly of fornication, and countenancing idolatrous practices, he raises his voice, as in the days when he purged the temple of Jerusalem and cried, "Take these things hence!" Most terribly do the eyes that are as a flame of fire flash indignation, as he threatens " Great tribulation! Death!" to all such unholy ones; and all the churches shall know that he seeks holiness in heart and feeling, and surely then in life and conduct. And then at Sardis, while grieving over the cold formality of so many, how he delights to show his regard to the holy, consistent walk of the few names "that had not defiled their garments," (Rev. iii.4.) These believers had acted in accordance with their profession; had not imitated the laxity of others; had not given in to the low standard of holy living; had not yielded to others who saw no harm in occasional gaiety, in a little fashionable conformity to the ways of the world; had not spent their leisure in useless amusement, while souls were perishing around them; had not accommodated their maxims in business to the morality current in the town; but had truly sought to walk in the footsteps of Christ, “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners." Those who walked so holily shall (says Jesus) "walk with me." They shall have "white" robes like my transfiguration-robes. 'Worthy," is what he calls them. I will confess their name before my Father." Reader, is it not plain that Jesus delights in the holy living of his people, and would have them all to be a peculiar people zealous of good works?— The Wynd Journal. ENTHUSIASM IN RELIGION. WE need more of it, a hundredfold more than we have. Enthusiasm in science, in trade, in politics, we have plenty of; and all that is done by enthusiastic men. The Word needs to be guarded, but the prudent reader knows that enthusiasm is not fanaticism. The grandest subject in all the universe of God taking full possession of the soul, ought to fill it with intense emotion. It shall profit a man nothing to gain the whole world, and lose his own soul; and if we praise him who pursues business with so much industry and tact as to gain a million before he dies, shall we not much more admire the enthusiasm of him who gains heaven! The world is to be saved. We ought to be in earnest about saving it. Our friends, children, neighbours, the heathen, and the perishing, we can do something to save them. If they were on a ship wrecked off shore, or in a burning house, we would be enthusiastic to deliver them from death. May we not be enthusiastic in delivering them from hell? The apostles were enthusiastic. The Saviour himself was filled with enthusiasm. All the best men, who have been mighty in pulling down error and building up truth, have been enthusiastic. God grant that the church may rise, and shake herself from the dust. It is a time to be up and doing. Let us work while it is day. THE HARVEST HOME. thought and let it bear you above your fears. Is your heart often heavy with anxious forebodings respecting a loved child for whom you have prayed, and whom from infancy you have taught the precious truth of salvation. " Faint not." Though seed-time be past, and the time has fully come when your yearning, eager gaze should discover the signs of fresh life as the result of the seed you have so carefully sown, and are yet watering with a mother's tears. Be comforted by the thought that it is the Lord's seed you have sown, bathed first in the precious Mothers, burdened with care for blood of Christ. Though the harvest your children, whose soul wrestles be not in your lifetime, you shall reap for them in unwearying prayer and in the great harvest-home if you faint watchfulness, take this precious not, for" He is faithful that promised." "He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." Missions. CHINA. MR. BARBOUR has received the follow- | from Church privileges. He continued ing letter from the Rev. Carstairs Douglas: Pechuia, 14th July, 1860. MY DEAR MR. BARBOUR,-Just as the steamer, bearing last fortnight's mail, left the harbour of Amoy the barque Peterborough was entering it, bringing Mr. Grant, and our new Missionaries. The same evening was our monthly conconcert for prayer, the most suitable of all days to give united thanks for the mercies of the past, and to seek grace and guidance for the future. under this censure to the last, and thus, under a cloud, he has passed away. Oh! that this solemn warning may not be lost on the others. At Baypay we have again found it necessary to suspend a member. He has been mentioned in previous letters as having left the hill country and gone down to the plain about five miles from Pechuia. He has long given up all form of religion, either public or private, and we have intimated to him that unless he showed signs of repentance we must speedily proceed to cut him off entirely. The little Church here has, within two I have been again at Anhai. The manweeks, lost two of its members. The darins have done nothing for us, but first was Chu-kak, one of the deacons without the help of man, the opposiwho was appointed last year. He was tion of the people has much diminished, taken ill very suddenly, and soon became and we trust to be able soon to resume insensible; his last saying was, "The regular work there. Two of our assistLord has come, I follow him." He had, ants are now staying in the house of from the first, sustained a consistent A-lat, and holding meetings in the house Christian character, and exercised a good of another of the brethren. Arrangeinfluence around. The other death was ments are now being made for repairing of a different character; a young man, the place of meeting, or renting another by name Kang, who was long chapel-place. The greater number of those keeper here, and had once, for a few who had seemed interested before the weeks been tried as an assistant. Alas! uproar have remained stedfast, and sevehe had failed in the trial, and soon both ral more have since that time begun to lost that position and was suspended join regularly in the worship of God. Surely this is an answer to many prayers, These form, as it were, a kind of centre, which have been offered up for these from which radiate beams of Gospel truth, often sufficiently powerful to penetrate the poor people. Meantime, I have been once at Chang- heathen darkness around, and to light the chew, and have a second time visited sinner to Christ. I consider these stations of the most essential importance in aiding Tung-an. At each place we found good the spread of the Gospel. I have no doubt opportunities of preaching; the people but in time they will more or less become were very friendly; they recognised me independent churches, whose influence must as having often been before, distinguish-be felt by the surrounding people. Although ing me from one of the American Mis- missionaries up to the present have not seen sionaries who accompanied me on his any extensive results attending their efforts; first visit to these places. At Changchew we called on the old oil-merchant, at whose house Mr. Burns and I had sometimes stayed before he pressed us to stay some days with him, but the wet : weather prevented our stay. In Chang chew there is one sign of encouragement. An old man has put away his ancestral tablets; he did not break them, but gave them a decent burial. His son has long studied in my house at Amoy, having been a member above two years. the old man has several times been down as an inquirer, and this step of rejecting the ancestral tablets looks like sincerity. Ever yours. CARSTAIRS DOUGLAS. THE REBELS IN CHINA. THROUGH the kindness of a minister of the Presbytery of London we are privileged to lay before our readers the following extracts from an interesting letter recently received from the Rev. John Macgowan, formerly a student in our College, and now labouring as a missionary in China in connection with the London Missionary Society. "I hope in six months more to be able to preach a little, and I am sorry to say there is only too extensive a field for its exercise. The population here is so dense, and the number of the converts so few, when compared with the whole, that one feels overwhelmed with the amount of labour which, humanly speaking, lies before every missionary. Of the whole working of our mission I cannot here enter into details, yet I am glad to tell you that there is a sufficient amount of evidence to indicate that Christianity, though, perhaps, slowly at present, is still steadily gaining ground. The success which our missionaries have obtained in their itinerary preaching has been very great. Many of the cities around, such as Sun-king, and until its capture by the rebels, Suchen, have stations, presided over by a native agent, and all under the general superintendence of the particular missionary who established the station. the day has at length dawned, I believe when I refer now to the case of the The whole country presented a very painful aspect, the fields were entirely de-erted, and the small towns we passed were without As we approached a single inhabitant. Ping Bong the river was everywhere covered with household furniture, thrown in in their haste to escape from the rebels. The river on which we had been sailing, for thirty miles or so, passed directly through the One side was occupied middle of the town. Lord and Saviour of man, who redeems them from sin, by the endurance of extreme misery. Upon the cross they nailed his body, where he shed his precious blood to by the rebels, whilst the other was in flames, in order, I suppose, to prevent the Imperialists from annoying them. I was very much impressed with the sight of the thousands of rebels that came out from every save mankind. Three days after his death corner to look at the "foreigners." They were dressed in the most fantastic manner; every one seemed to dress according to his own fancy, but red was the prevailing colour. Their whole aspect differed exceedingly from the general appearance of the Chinese that I had hitherto seen. They appeared determined men in every sense of the term, and to have no doubts whatever as to their ultimate success. In passing through the town, to have our interview with the chiefs, we observed that the temples had all been stripped of their idols, and not a vestige remained of idolatrous practices. At one corner we observed three cups of tea, which were evidently religious offerings of some kind. They, no doubt, correspond with the thank-offerings of the Jews, because they seem to derive a great deal of their theology from the Old Testament. We here learned a great deal about their religious belief. They believe in one God-his unity-his eternity-and government-in universal depravity-in the necessity of Divine power in the work of regeneration-in sin as a transgression of the law of a living God and a loving Father. They believe also in Christ as the Saviour of the world—in the forgiveness of sins through his merits-and that the future state will be one of rewards and punishments. I subjoin here a translation of some of their printed views. "Who has ever lived in this world without offending heaven? But until this time no one has known how to obtain deliverance from. Now, however, the Great God has made gracious communications to man; and, from henceforth, whoever repents of his sins in the presence of the Great God, and avoids worshipping depraved spirits, practising perverse things, or transgressing the Divine commands, may ascend to heaven, and enjoy happiness for thousands and myriads of years, in pleasure and delight, with dignity and honour, world without end." he rose from the dead, and, during forty days, he discoursed on heavenly things. When he was about to ascend, he commanded his disciples to communicate his Gospel, and proclaim his revealed will. Those who believe will be saved, and ascend up to heaven, and those who do not believe will be the first to be condemned." The above translation is given by Mr. John, one of our Mission. In our subsequent visit to Woo Kiang, and finally to Suchen, where we everywhere met with the kindest treatment, these views, given by the first party, were entirely substantiated. We were gratified to find that the man second in command, and next in rank to "Tai Ping Wang," the rebel chieftain, is a convert of Dr. Legge, at Hong Kong; and that the same man spent some months in the employ of the London Mission at Shanghai. As the missionaries had every evidence that this man was a sincere Christian, great results are expected. The feeling is now prevalent in Shanghai that the present dynasty will certainly be compelled to succumb before the arms of this new power. This will be a noble thing for the spread of Christianity. Missionaries will then have free access into every part of the country. And moreover, the fact of the Government being a professedly Christian one, will open the way for the reception of the Gospel in such a way as could never have been anticipated even by the most sanguine. The above remarks have been written in a very hasty manner. Unexpectedly, the mail goes away a day sooner than was intended; consequently I have had less time in arranging my thoughts. If you think any of the facts above narrated will be of any interest to the readers of the "Messenger," you are at liberty to publish them, although I have written them in the first instance for yourself. Again, in a form of prayer which they have printed, we find the following:-"I DEATH OF THE REV. DR. EWART, also earnestly pray Thee, the Great God, our heavenly Father, constantly to bestow OF CALCUTTA. on me thy Holy Spirit, aud change my VERY mournful tidings have reached uswicked heart. Never more allow me to be deceived by malignant demons, but per- Calcutta. A very solemn and afflictive Isays the Witness-by the last mail from petually regarding me with favour, for ever deliver me from the evil one, through the merits of our Saviour and heavenly Brother, the Lord Jesus, who redeemed us from sin." Here is another extract from their writings. "But the Great God, out of pity to mankind, sent his first-born Son to come down into the world. His name is Jesus, the dispensation has befallen our mission there. Our beloved and venerated missionary, Dr. Ewart, is no more. A letter has been received from Dr. Duff, intimating that, on the day on which the mail left, he had been seized by a severe attack of cholera, and that his life was |